Cornell's admissions office graciously provided The Sun with this year's admissions numbers yesterday. As of Jan. 14, the University received 32,655 applications total for both Early and Regular Decision. Applications increased for all undergraduate colleges.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart returned tonight after nine weeks of reruns due to the Writers Guild of America strike, which is still on-going. The issue dominated the half-hour episode, which featured Cornell ILR Professor Ron Seeber, vice provost for land grant affairs, who was brought onto the show to speak due to "his expertise on strikes." Seeber spoke about the status of the strikes, the motivations of the parties involved, the nuances of labor negotiations, as well as the reasons the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers can negotiate as a single entity.

The professor's appearance on the show was not without its detractors, several of whom claimed that the professor, along with Cornell, was disrespecting the strike by appearing on the show.

While the admissions office is still counting the applications for regular decision into the University, we've received the numbers for early decision. 3,110 students applied, an increase of 3 percent from last year's 3,015 applicants, according to a report released by the undergraduate admissions office. This year, 1,139 applicants were offered admission, with an acceptance rate of 36.6 percent, down from 38.9 percent two years ago but the same rate as last year.

Update: We received updated numbers, which can be found in this new blog post.

As eyes turn rapidly to New Hampshire, I can't help but look at the results of yesterday's caucuses and wonder how much students played a role (and will continue to play a role) in this year's presidential race more than ever before. A January 2nd New York Times article asks a similar question, focusing on how many out-of-state college students would arrive early from their winter breaks to skew the results. Obama tried lure out-of-state students back: "He told students at the University of Iowa, if you’re going to be out of state, I want you to come back and caucus,'" while others, including Clinton, seemed less inclined to include non-Iowans. Approximately 220,000 people showed up to the Democratic caucuses, much more than the high-end prediction of 150,000; about 120,000 showed up for the Republican caucuses.

Looks like the much-feared winter storm didn't entirely bury Ithaca this weekend. A University mailing list informed me just a moment ago: "Ithaca Area Spared Brunt of Weekend Nor'easter." Watch out for that sleet if you're still in the area. Cornell's record of snow-clearing on campus isn't a sterling one, as most students will attest.

The mass exodus out of Ithaca over the past week has weakened Cornell's armies, however. Straight from the battlefield for the Ivy League Championship over at GoCrossCampus.com, Commander Aaron Martinez '10 checks in with the carnelian post. So are we kicking Yale's asses? "We're behind. We need more people. But we're definitely not beaten, and victory is still within our grasp," he says, brows furrowed a mere two hours before he'll send troops out.

And here are the week's top Cornell and college-related news that didn't deserve a full story. Or maybe they do, that's up to you.

IvyGate has quite the tip from a West Campus dorm: "a group e-mail to residents of Founder Hall details the 'big health concern' posed by those who pee in bottles and leave them in public spaces." Might I say for all of us at The Sun, WTF? [12/13/2007]

A menacing winter storm is threatening the Cornell campus today as students finish up the last of their finals, but not to worry, the majority of Cornellians are already home or in transport. The latest from the administration is as follows: "Cornell University officials are monitoring the approach of a significant winter storm expected to arrive in the Ithaca area in the early morning hours this Sunday, Dec. 16." Find out more at the "Special Conditions" website. Wouldn't it be ironic if school closed after everyone has left?

But enough about the weather.

As Cornellians finish up their final classes for the semester, The Sun also ceases publishing its print edition. Never fear, though, we will continue to provide breaking news, blogs, and various other updates throughout the coming weeks. So keep checking back with us! We will resume publication in January before classes start.

Good luck to all students on finals and enjoy your break!

Your first glance at today's CornellSun.com might have been a bit shocking, to say the least. Who donated $40 million? Why didn't Jonny O's win the "Wildest Bar in America" award? This is just plain ludicrous! Well, before you complain to your congressman, we at The Sun actually just want to wish you a Happy Halloween! The articles you saw previously are a part of our semi-annual joke issue--the other one is printed on April 1st--and we're sorry to tell you that nothing you read is true, unfortunately. As much as we'd love to buy the motivational tapes Jim Knowles is purported to be selling, they don't exist.

But we're certainly glad you've found the real part of the site, with stories you can reliably believe, if you so choose. Have fun trick-or-treating!

From the Editor

During the summertime, The Sun usually puts up a simple message at the top of our website, indicating that we’ll have a largely static front page online over the next three months. Most other college newspapers do the same, as staff writers and editors end up scattering to all corners of the world. This summer, however, we want to provide our readers with something new to read on our website regularly, and so we present an entirely new section: blogging.